It ain’t so difficult to green your home!The energy efficiency and environmental benefits accruing from green buildings and living spaces are widely known, but it is often inertia and misinformation that prevents the adoption of these alternatives. Chandrashekar Hariharan discusses a few easy steps that could foster greener urban infrastructure.

When companies flout norms and regulators look awayA recent report from environmental research group Toxics Link exposes how multinationals are flagrantly violating the MoEF-notified rules on e-waste, even as the authorities empowered to enforce implementation remain passive. Richa Malhotra details the key findings.

Why your bag of vegetables costs more every week!
It is certainly not because of mere demand-supply mismatch.
Kannan Kasturi
deconstructs the supply chain dynamics and credit linkages in the vegetable markets to show how these, coupled with government impotence, have
led to uncontrolled, spiralling inflation.

Have you overstepped the Sustainable Consumption Line?
Humanity has collectively crossed the limits necessary for ecological sustainability.
Ashish Kothari
argues for a sustainable consumption line
that would ensure individuals and communities do not partake of resources in a way that deprives others or endangers the environment further.

A raw deal for consumersThe Consumer Protection Act passed by the Indian government in 1986 defeats its own objectives in the way that it functions today;
Sakuntala Narasimhan
reveals how it sidelines consumer rights and protects the bigger multinationals operating in the emerging market.

Corporate interests rise above allDespite privatisation in the power sector, consumer interests are professed to be safeguarded through competitive processes and independent regulatory authorities, but a recent order in favour of Adani Power Ltd. dents such assertions.
Shripad Dharmadhikary
analyses the implications.

Should bribe-givers be let off?
Researchers conduct experiments to study Kaushik Basu's idea that only bribe-takers should be punished, and get insight that may help
anti-corruption efforts.
Tarun Jain
reports.

FDI: Just the facts, please
Whether foreign direct invesmtent in retail in India is good or bad should be judged by a reasoned debate based on facts,
not hyperbole and exaggeration.
Jacob John
reports.

Patients' rights on the rise
Amidst a rising tide of reports of medical negligence in the media, the courts have stepped in to interpret laws in favour of patients,
and to award large punitive damages.
Shoma Chatterji
reports.

From snow ball to coconut lassi
This Kochi's couple's one-year-old enterprise is perhaps the only serious attempt to market snow ball tender coconut so far. And in their response to irregularity of supply, they introduced the coconut lassi.
Shree Padre
has more.

Citizens input on power tariffs
In a few weeks, Karnataka will once again seek public input in setting electricity tariffs. While the era of state electricity boards has
ended, public participation is important to counter pressures from the government, utility companies, and the commercial private
sector on regulators, write
Lina Krishnan, Gautam Menon and M V Ramana.

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National Physical

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